LONDON Part 1

 

 

Im going to try to accomplish the Herculean task of distilling the past 3 months into a post that is readable and enjoyable while attempting to impart knowledge of London as well as completing the primary task of making a diary entry for our chronicles of an exceptional 6 year journey.  So bear with me if this, at times, seems like a wander.

Gratitude’s home for the winter this year is the most idyllic and unimaginable locale given that we are in the middle of one of the largest cities in Europe.  London, which houses approximately 9 million inhabitants with an additional 1 million visitors daily, can feel, at times, overwhelming.  But a short 15 minute walk from the Tower Hill tube stop and visible from the Tower Bridge is the lovely St. Katharines Dock. 

 

Charming, is the most obvious description when I look out our window, but a peaceful pearl in the midst of controlled chaos is what it feels like to come home to this place.  There are 3 basins which comprise the SKD facility.  Impeccably maintained, manicured and cared for by a team of the most able specialists in marine accommodation we have ever seen, St. Katharines is a true haven and a worthy stop for any visitor whether on the boat or visiting via hotel.  Facilitating this unlikely task, given that there are times when the shoreline of the Thames is a mudflat, is a locking system which permits a stable depth in the marina despite the twice daily rise and fall of 10 meters (roughly 30 feet) of tide water.  Watching boats “lock” in and out is itself a tourist attraction and  Science lesson.  Gratitude has a front row seat for the arrival of new boats which can only happen during the high tide and 1 hour on either side.  The staff are as kind as they are efficient and manage all manner of tasks from locking arrivals and departures in and out of the marina, to facilitating black water pump out, as well as the meticulous cleaning and maintenance of shower, laundry and general facilities.  Not inexpensive, this is likely the most “pricey” moorage we have paid in Europe, it is less expensive then anything comparable in the US and given its location and quality of accommodation, we feel it is a good value for the money.   On a personal note, shortly after our arrival, our eldest, Pratt (nearly 17 year old cat) became ill.  Since he was already diagnosed with several maladies which indicated his imminent passing, we felt certain where this was heading.  Claire and others in the SKD office helped us with making vet appointments as well as just general kindness when the inevitable happened and we had to let Pratt go.  They even found homes for his food and other items on board, and brought us flowers which was way above and beyond and just the type of gesture one appreciates from a neighbor, even a neighbor as short lived as us.    Losing Pratt was a terrible blow to the whole Gratitude family.  We loved him immensely and he gave us so much.  We miss him terribly as we continue to miss his sister who passed away over 2 years ago. 

 

Christmas in London

 

Over the Christmas holidays the increase in traffic, both pedestrian and motor, was palpable. We were so looking forward to the holiday lights, shopping (though we aren’t big shoppers), shows and holiday excitement and we were not disappointed. Pure energy – most of it positive- infused all of our interactions despite the masses of humanity. The Christmas markets, which could be found literally from end to end in the City of London, provided wonderful hand made crafts as well as delicious street food. Each borough or neighborhood provided its own take on Christmas decorations keeping shops and restaurants nearly full throughout the holiday.

After the 10th of January however, the crowds thinned obviously and things returned to “normal”. What is normal? Well, for us, that means getting somewhere on the tube or in the West End can happen with a minimum of jostling; and the weekly (sometimes more) trips to the gorgeous Borough Market were a joy rather than a misery. During the holidays, some of our favorite vendors even changed their offerings to simplify customer interactions. If you are a visitor to London and you like food, dont miss the Borough Market. It is a joy to meander the stalls and appreciate the incredibly high quality of food – from hot street food, to butchers, cheese mongers and farm fresh products, Borough Market has it all. A couple of our favorites are the pulled pork on ciabatta from “The Black Pig”, Mango sticky rice from the Thai food place, and the famous mixed berry cobbler from the “Humble Crumble”.

Most of these places were impossible over the holidays but now one can get in a somewhat reasonable line. I prefer to eat sitting down to standing up but every couple of weeks, we can’t resist a trip for lunch, and more regularly, the butcher and bread makers are worth a regular trip for galley staples. Speaking of food…..

 

FOOD IN LONDON

 

Im not sure where the poor British ever got a reputation for having food that wasn’t amazing. Sounds like a rumor perhaps spread by the French? But I can’t say enough about the wonderful culinary experiences we have had here. Last night we enjoyed a ridiculously delicious lobster dinner at a gorgeous restaurant called Smiths of Wapping. With stunning views of the Thames and the Tower Bridge, and a creative menu with absolutely everything served to us not only perfectly prepared but thoughtfully presented by attentive and efficient staff, you must add this to your list to visit. Also, and it pains me to add to their already epic lines, the Dishoon restaurant for Indian food. Seriously, Im dreaming of it. They have a few different locations around London, mercifully, since Im not the only one who could eat there 5x a week and be happy. Likely due to their past colonization of India, there is no shortage of amazing Korma or Tikka but Dishoon is its own amazing thing.

Park Row in Piccadilly has an interesting and creative menu executed brilliantly. And Gordon Ramsay has several restaurant’s here also but I must truthfully confess that we were unimpressed by his restaurant in the Battersea Power Station (Bread Street Kitchen). The menu was interesting but we felt poorly executed and seasoned. But that’s just our opinion. Nicholson Pub, a chain it turns out, had really well prepared pub food. We accidentally discovered the first one, Williamsons Tavern, after a very long 20,000 plus step walking day on the first day of Kellys arrival. Not only a delicious pub menu of traditional pies and chips, we had the added benefit of dining in a historical landmark. A short 2 minute walk from the Mansion House Underground station, the pub is tucked down a narrow ally and once housed the Lord Mayor. Built shortly after the Great Fire of 1666, and restored in the early 20th century, this is clearly a favorite after work spot for locals in the area. Despite the distinct odor of ale (likely achieved after decades of the spilled nectar soaked into the timber floors), the food was delicious and the staff lovely. It would make a perfect lunch or dinner spot for a tourist given the convenient location next to the real Lord Mayor house, Mansion house as it is called, plus a short walk to several bridges, government buildings and the famous St. Paul’s Cathedral – Not the only work of the famed architect, Sir Christopher Wren, in the area. See if you can find his other amazing, though far lesser known, church, St. Mary Abchurch behind Cannon Street.

It goes without saying that the British tradition of High Tea is alive and well and being served all over London. I can’t write a paragraph about food and fail to mention the delicious “tea” we enjoyed at Fortnum and Masons Diamond Jubiliee Tea Salon. Despite the claim that Queen Elizabeth and Catherine, Princess of Wales, opened the lovely Tea Room, there isn’t the slightest hint of snobbery amongst the staff. Gracious and warm service with the award winning tea and delicious pastry was a highlight of the most recent trip with Kelly.

THEATRE IN LONDON

 

One simply does not come to London and not soak in all possible live entertainment in the West End and beyond. We are doing our best to see as much as possible and what follows is an overview of what we have done and what we have tickets yet to do on this, our final month here.

 

Jack and I, together with Emma, a marina friend, went to the Madonna concert at the O2.  She was an amazing performer and was a shining example of what can be possible for a 60 something women.  Strong, beautiful and capable, she entertained the crowd after the curfew of the 02 and completed an amazing performance. 

We first heard of the longest continuous show on the West End (with the exception of the covid closing) when visiting Agatha Christies summer home near Darthmouth on the south coast of England.  The “MOUSETRAP” has been a favorite in London since 1952.  A murder mystery in which the audience is invited to do their own sleuthing, but more importantly implored to keep the secret of “who done it” the show has never been filmed or played outside of the West end.  While one can resolve the mystery with a simple google search (DONT DO IT!!), part of the fun is the joy of joining tens of thousands of others who have seen this fun murder mystery played out on stage in live theatre.  We enjoyed this with my niece Sarah and her boyfriend Ryan.  They are not fans of musicals, so this was the perfect live show to watch with them. 

After the passing of our beloved Pratt, we 3 were in serious need of some laughter, it being the best medicine for a broken heart.  We went to THE BOOK OF MORMON and we did get a good laugh.  A few caveats, I would not call this wholesome humor.  It was irreverent and at times inappropriate but the cast was great and once you know what to expect, it delivers in spades. 

 

The Christmas season brings some time honored traditions, but this year we replaced the Nutcracker with a live performance of A CHRISTMAS CAROL.  Performed brilliantly, this play was a perfect addition to our holiday play list. 

Steve and Kim visited just prior to Christmas and we enjoyed a beautiful Bulgarian Christmas Choir performance. 

 

Kelly came for a visit and since she is a regular patron of live Broadway shows, I wanted her West End visit to be a treat.  Based on some solid reviews, we bought tickets to Moulin Rouge.  Wow, a stellar performance of music and choreography, it was one of the finest live theatre performances I have ever enjoyed. 

We are going to see SIX next week and Phantom of the Opera at the end of the month.  Encouraged by the closing of the same show on Broadway, we want to make sure we see this iconic performance before it goes away. 

 

HIDDEN GEM

 

There are hundreds of hidden gems in London.  My favorite thing to do is just head off in any direction and go where the spirit moves, with nothing more then a lose plan or itinerary.  Most recently when Kelly came to visit, we did just this on the day of her arrival.  After dropping bags onboard Gratitude, we made a point of seeing my very favorite Borough Market for lunch, then across the London Bridge back over to the North bank where we just meandered around the neighborhood near St. Paul’s.  We discovered (or rather re-discovered since I accidentally found this with Alec and Jack in 2019) the London Guildhall. 

The Romans, when founding Londinium, placed their Amphitheatre here in 70AD.  If you are lucky enough to get the birdseye view, the black marble circle is where the Roman built their amphitheater and where (buried deep below)  you will rediscover ruins which were uncovered during the renovation of the Guildhall museum.  When these ruins were discovered, work was halted and experts consulted.  The remains of this Amphitheater are housed in the re-designed museum which takes advantage of these precious remnants of the Roman era. 

But the Guildhall in medieval history was a crucial center of commerce and this amazing space has represented the merchant class since the early 15th century.   The flags hanging throughout the Great Hall represent each of the original 12 trades which brought so much wealth and power to London.  Trials were held here from 1400s and even Lady Jane Grey was tried and found guilty of high treason and sentenced to death here.  There is a large sign indicating some of the more famous and noteworthy trials which have taken place in the Guildhall.  The roof of the Guildhall was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666 and sadly once replaced would burn on 3 more occasions before the current roof would rest in 1953.   

The Guildhall is the locale of the Lord Mayors Banquet and has been since 1502.  Queen Elizabeth celebrated her 90th birthday and her Ruby Jubilee here as well as making her famous “annum horribilis” speech following the Windsor castle fire in 1992.   Many events are memorialized in large master works paintings throughout the Guildhall. 

 

Kelly and I accidentally meandered into the space and, like children, looked through the window to gaze inside.  Amazed at the beauty within, we asked for admittance to look around.  Nearly laughed out loud to our faces, we were turned away.  But the guards at the entrance to the nearby museum beckoned us inside and, reluctant to seem ungrateful, we graciously accepted.  I was anxious to show Kelly 2 treasures that I already knew were inside anyway:  1, the Magna Carta from the 13th century.  We saw this in 2019 on our earlier visit.  And 2, the beautiful Roman amphitheater.  Which is where the security guard found us. 

 

I don’t recall this mans name and since Id be mortified to get him into trouble, I wouldn’t mention it here anyway.  He whisked us off on our own private tour.  INCLUDING THE AMAZING GUILDHALL!!!.  He said he felt so sad for us being turned away after peeping through the windows and he wanted to make it special for us!  This kind man escorted us through each of the interconnected buildings telling us stories, and inviting us to take these photos. 

 

Whether you can wrangle your own private tour of this incredible space or not, the museum, the courtyard and what you can view through the plate glass windows is worth the trip. The more important lesson though is wherever you visit – especially in London, be sure to carve out time for the slow meander and going to where the spirit moves you. These have unfailingly produced the greatest memories in these years of travel.

Other hidden gems in London include the countless neighborhoods, each special in their own way.  The hippster areas of Portabello and Camden town are so much fun.  Id recommend, if youre a big walker, taking a meander through “little Venice”.  You could get off the Camden Town tube stop and have fish and chips at Poppies, or the best Malaysian food you will have outside Malasia at the Camden Lock food truck area.  Then walk along the river passing The Regents Park to your left.  You will even see some animals from the zoo as you pass.  (Thanks to Gus and Helen, long time St. Kats London locals for recommending this to us).  This is a lovely walk and you will find floating book stores and even a puppet show.  Portabello has a similar but totally different vibe and you will certainly find many fun stops along the way.   No matter which of the 32 locals districts you find, you can’t be disappointed. 

Soho, Covent Garden, Carnaby… these are just a few of the areas in the Piccadilly Circus area.  You could spend a day strolling the streets discovering cool shops and amazing restaurants.  Following Moulin Rouge with Kelly we made a reservation for some comfort food bar-b-que at DIRTY BONES.  Seating us before confirming our reservation, I didnt realize we booked for the wrong day.  Turns out, our mistake, we didnt have a reservation.  They didnt treat us as criminals! They were gracious and invited us to remain where we were and we enjoyed an amazing comfort food dinner here, despite the fact that they were fully booked and very full. 

 

This has well exceeded my usual length for a post so Ill stop here and continue next with Museums in London.  

On a short aside, our journey is coming to an end soon and with the plans begun in earnest for our return, it is getting harder than ever to remain in the moment.   We have had incredibly happy news this week which must be chronicled here.  Jack will be attending The Pine School in the fall.  We returned to the US for a brief 10 day whirlwind visit in November,  during which time, we witnessed our niece get married in California, and Jack visited and interviewed at 3 schools in the Martin County-Palm Beach Country areas.  Since November we have been holding our breath and crossing our fingers that Jack would find a home in one of them. GO KNIGHTS!  And Congratulations to Kelly and Kyle!